1. Field
One embodiment of the invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a program, which can display a tree diagram that represents, in a tree form, a hierarchical structure of components that constitute a product.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a product, such as a personal computer, a TV or a video recorder, needs to be designed in consideration of the total weight, total cost, total content of chemical substances, etc. of the product.
Thus, there is a demand for a system that manages characteristic quantities (e.g. weight, cost, chemical substance content) which are inherent to the respective components of a designed product.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-142929 discloses a system which displays components of a product in a tree form.
In the system of KOKAI No. 2001-142929, however, the tree merely displays the hierarchical structure of the components of the product, and cannot display how the components influence the weight, cost, chemical substance content, etc. of the whole product.
It is thus necessary to realize a novel function for graphically displaying, at the same time, the hierarchical structure of components of a product and the degree of contribution of the components to the whole product.